Morning sickness is thought to be caused by the chemical changes taking place in your body during pregnancy.  Not everybody suffers from morning sickness but those that do often find that it starts as early as a week or two after their missed period.  For many, morning sickness ends around the start of the 2nd Trimester, but for some women it can continue much further into the pregnancy.

So, while morning sickness is a wonderful indication that your pregnancy is progressing as it should, it can be difficult to get on with normal daily life when you have to run to the toilet every few minutes!

But worry not – there are a number of tried and tested methods to lessen your morning sickness symptoms:

Aromatherapy is somewhat controversial when it comes to use in pregnancy, despite there being no evidence that safe use (i.e. use as directed by an aromatherapist and in the recommended quantities) causes any harm.  However, as with any medication or treatment, you should check with your midwife or doctor beforehand, particularly if you have particular concerns or increased risk of pregnancy problems. The recommended essential oil for helping morning sickness is spearmint.   Try adding 4-6 drops of spearmint to a bowl of boiling water beside your bed at night and you should find that it helps you to feel better in the morning!  You could also add a few drops to a tissue to carry with you throughout the day.

This is something that definitely helped me personally during the morning sickness stages of my pregnancy.  I found that my nausea felt worse if I had an empty stomach, so the trick is to snack regularly – even if you don’t feel like it! Foods that are easy on your stomach, such as yoghurts and crackerbread, are great.  This is why snacks such as Preggo Pops are so popular!  You don’t have to buy specialist lollipops though – any will do!

This is another golden rule – your morning sickness will definitely feel worse if you aren’t well rested. My employers were very understanding and allowed me to work from home in the mornings every other day, which allowed me a bit longer in bed and a more gradual wake-up time (rather than having to rush for a train!).  It definitely made a difference – why not ask your employer if you can do something similar?

If you’re anything like me, you’ll find that strong smells can really set your morning sickness off.  So try keeping your area well ventilated if possible and carry a tissue with a few drops of a nice, fresh essential oil like lemon on it, to sniff when you can’t get rid of an unpleasant smell.

Ginger is WONDERFUL for suppressing nausea (so much so that NASA astronauts take ginger on missions to help with travel sickness!).  You could try ginger tea (which also helps to keep your fluid intake up – very important!) or ginger tablets.

Remember that morning sickness is unpleasant but it’s usually a great sign that your pregnancy is progressing well and it WILL pass! Take care of yourself & your bump and have a healthy & happy 9 months :)

If you have any morning sickness tips of your own, please share them in the comments box below!

Hub 19 / 30 of 30 hubs in 30 days challenge